Author: Chef M

Mofongo is one of my all-time favorite Puerto Rican dishes. It is incredible to me just how flavorful the combination of fried plantains, garlic and chicharrónes (cracklings) is! It can be served as a side dish, but it transforms into a hearty main dish when stuffed with shrimp cooked in a rich tomato sauce.

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The hallmark of a standout sugar cookie is satisfying chew. But sugar cookie recipes can be surprisingly fussy: If the butter temperature isn’t just right or the measurements are a bit off, the resulting cookies are brittle. We wanted an approachable recipe for great sugar cookies that anyone could make. Knowing that the right proportions of saturated and unsaturated fats can enhance chewiness (for more information on this, see here and here), we replaced some of the butter in the recipe with oil. The cookies had good chew but they were cloying. To mitigate the sweetness, we added an unconventional…

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A stack of classic pancakes makes for a delicious breakfast but doesn’t offer much in the way of nutrition. To give this breakfast a boost, we turned to whole grains and zeroed in on oats for their nutty flavor, hearty texture, and high fiber content. We were able to create a smooth base for our batter using three-quarters oat flour, with ½ cup all-purpose flour providing structure and lift. We stirred whole rolled oats into our batter as well. Pre-soaked until just softened, they gave our pancakes a satisfying, nubby texture. Fresh blueberries, cinnamon, and nutmeg paired nicely with the…

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This is particularly filling in that wholesome way but I can guarantee you it’s delicious too. It’s very quick to put together – you just need to be organised the night before. I keep the skin on the apples and drizzle over some lemon juice as soon as I grate them to stop oxidation. You can of course leave out the vanilla, and use cow’s milk, soy or almond milk if preferred.

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This tart is a classic dessert of Ockenden Manor. It will make all your thoughts about chocolate desserts being too heavy fly out the window. Enjoy it at room temperature to preserve its lightness and my advice hide the rest of it!

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These muffins are chock-full of tasty goodness—pecans, coconut, oats, gobs of blueberries, and, of course, protein-rich chia. They have bumpy, rough-looking tops, but the insides are super moist. I like to sweeten with grade B maple syrup; it’s not only cheaper, but it has more flavor and minerals than grade A (but if grade A syrup is what you have, don’t sweat it). Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for three days.

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When pomegranates are in season from late fall to Valentine’s Day, add their ruby red seeds to salads. Simply cut the pomegranate in half, and hold each half over a bowl and hit it with a wooden spoon so the seeds fall into the bowl. The mellow, yet salty taste of ricotta salata is a perfect foil to the other flavors. A simple dressing is all you need.

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Taking influence from the Liguria region of Italy, our rustic ciabatta is light and aromatic. Just waiting to be toasted, this is the perfect loaf for sandwiches, bruschetta, and dipping in olive oil.

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